mmWave Vs Ultrasonic

Table of Contents

Introduction

The objective of this experiment is to evaluate the ability of TI’s mmWave sensors to detect obstacles in scenarios that are challenging for ultrasonic sensors. Some of these environments include:

Setup

The setup for this experiment can be divided into two parts, namely physical setup and software setup.

Physical Setup

The physical setup includes information about the setup environment such as the distance between the target and the sensor antenna, the type of target used, hardware setup and any other physical considerations.

Figure 1. mmWave EVM Setup in Laboratory Room Figure 2. Ultrasonic EVM Setup in Laboratory Room

Software Setup

The software setup information includes information about the SDK version, chirp configuration, GUI visualizer and any other software considerations.

  1. The AWR1642BOOST-ODS EVM flashed with the mmWave SDK 2.0 ODS binary and connected to a Windows laptop running the ODS Demo Visualizer.
  2. The chirp configuration used for obstacles at:
  3. The ultrasonic sensor connected to a Windows laptop running a GUI visualizer

Method

The following sections describe the methods used to carry out each of the eight test scenarios.

For the mmWave Sensor, the following procedure was used:

  1. Create the physical setup for the specified test setup
  2. Flash the ODS Demo binary onto the AWR1642BOOST-ODS EVM and connect the EVM to the host PC
  3. Launch ODS Demo Visualizer on the host PC and setup the Visualizer using the provided configuration file as shown below:
    • Platform: xWR16xx
    • SDK Version: 2.0
    • Desired Configuration: Defined by the configuration file
    • All Other Settings: Defined by the configuration file
    • Download the configuration file
      • When the object is placed at a distance less than 10 meters away use: chirp cfg
      • When the object is placed at a distance greater than 10 meters away use: chirp cfg
    • Go to the Plots tab on the Visualizer and click the “Load Config From PC and Send” button
    • Select the downloaded configuration file and press “Open”.
  4. Analyze the X-Y and Y-Z Scatter Plots along with the Range Profile to see if the object appears at the expected distance.
  5. Repeat step 4 as needed based on the test setup

Boresight Configuration

In this test configuration, the metal pole was placed at various distances directly in front of the sensor. The distances used in this setup include:

This configuration corresponds to tests #1-#5 in the “Results” section.

mmWave Boresight Setup

Figure 3. mmWave Boresight Configuration (1 meter) Figure 4. mmWave Boresight Configuration GUI Results (1 meter)

Ultrasonic Boresight Setup

Figure 5. Ultrasonic Boresight Configuration (1 meter) Figure 6. Ultrasonic Boresight Configuration GUI Results (1 meter)

Angle Configuration

In this test configuration, the metal pole was placed at a fixed distance of one meter 30 degrees off the sensor.

This configuration corresponds to test #6 in the “Results” section.

mmWave Angle Setup

Figure 7. mmWave Angle Configuration Figure 8. mmWave Angle Configuration GUI Results

Ultrasonic Angle Setup

Figure 9. Ultrasonic Angle Configuration Figure 10. Ultrasonic Angle Configuration GUI Results

Glass Configuration

In this test configuration, the metal pole was placed at fixed distance of one meter directly in front of the sensor. A panel of glass was also placed in front of the sensor.

This configuration corresponds to test #7 in the “Results” section.

mmWave Glass Setup

Figure 11. mmWave Glass Configuration Figure 12. mmWave Glass Configuration GUI Results

Ultrasonic Glass Setup

Figure 13. Ultrasonic Glass Configuration Figure 14. Ultrasonic Glass Configuration GUI Results

Dirt Configuration

In this test configuration, the metal pole was placed at a fixed distance of one meter directly in front of the sensor. A thin layer of dirt was applied to the panel of glass placed immediately in front of the mmWave sensor. A thin layer of dirt was applied to the transducer of the ultrasonic sensor.

This configuration corresponds to test #8 in the “Results” section.

mmWave Dirt Setup

Figure 15. mmWave Dirt Configuration Figure 16. mmWave Dirt Configuration GUI Results

Ultrasonic Dirt Setup

Figure 17. Ultrasonic Dirt Configuration Figure 18. Ultrasonic Dirt Configuration GUI Results

Results

The results from the steps listed in the previous section are presented in a summary table below.

Test # Distance Angle Impediment Detected with Ultrasonic Detected with mmWave
1 0.05m 0 deg None ✖ ✔
2 0.62m 0 deg None ✔ ✔
3 1m 0 deg None ✔ ✔
4 2m 0 deg None ✖ ✔
5 10m 0 deg None ✖ ✔
6 1m 30 deg None ✖ ✔
7 1m 0 deg Glass ✖ ✔
8 1m 0 deg Dirt ✖ ✔

Conclusion

Using the AWR1642BOOST-ODS EVM, we can detect a target objects at a variety of distances, both close up and far away. Additionally, the AWR1642BOOST-ODS EVM can detect objects that are not directly in front of it. The AWR1642BOOST-ODS can also compensate for impedients placed in front of the sensor and still detect the target object.

On the other hand, the ultrasonic sensor is unable to detect the target object except in scenarios where the target object is placed directly in front of the sensor and at distances around one meter.

Futhermore, the chirp configuration provided in this experiment represents one of several possible ways to configure the sensor for this type of obstacle detection. Advanced chirp designs, antenna designs and algorithms can provide better range resolution and compensation for impediments.

For more information on the AWR1642BOOST-ODS, visit here.